Denny Hamlin Set to Miss Next-Gen Cars’ International Debut After Son’s Birth 

Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin will miss the Mexico City Cup Series race after becoming a dad for the third time.

Denny Hamlin Set to Miss Next-Gen Cars’ International Debut After Son’s Birth 

Denny Hamlin (David Crigger/Bristol Herald Courier via AP)

Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin has announced that he has become a dad for the third time, as his fiancé and long-time partner Jordan Fish gave birth to a healthy baby boy. The couple has been on the baby watch since the Nashville race weekend, with the due date coming close and the birth has forced him to miss the Mexico City race.

The Next-Gen car is set to make its international debut this Sunday at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the iconic road course track that host many premier events including the F1 Mexican GP. Denny Hamlin has been adamant about his plans with baby on the way, as he has previously confirmed he will skip any race when the time comes.

The veteran made an announcement via his social media and via another statement from Joe Gibbs Racing regarding the child birth. He confirmed that his fiancé and son are healthy after the delivery and his main priority at the moment is to be with his family till their transition from the hospital to home is complete.

We are happy to announce the birth of our son. Everyone is doing well. My main priority is to be here at home for Jordan and our family over the next few days when she is able to go home and we transition to life as a family of five.

Denny Hamlin said via statement.

He shares his gratitude to his Joe Gibbs Racing and the sponsors for understanding the situation and give him the opportunity, alongside the passionate fans that always has his back. He is correctly focussed on his family and once they are settled back home, he will work with his team to produce a strong run at Pocono, and work on minimizing the impact of point loses due to missing the Mexico race.

I appreciate everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing, our partners, and our fans for the support over the last few weeks and I look forward to being back at the track next weekend in Pocono.

Denny Hamlin added.

Ryan Truex is set to take over the No:11 Car for the weekend

Ryan Truex, the brother of 2017 Cup Series champion and ex-JGR racer Martin Truex Jr. will replace Denny Hamlin for the weekend. He is the reserve driver for all the Cup and Xfinity JGR cars this season and the outing will mark his maiden NASCAR race in over ten years.

Ryan Truex, Martin Truex Jr. Image via NASCAR.
Ryan Truex, Martin Truex Jr. Image via NASCAR.

Truex has started just one race this season, the Daytona Xfinity race in February with Sam Hunt Racing and since then has been waiting on the wing for an opportunity. Though it’s a road course race, Mexico will be a great place for him to show his worth, and get his redemption run back on track again.

At the same time Joe Gibbs Racing is also working on securing the waiver for Denny Hamlin to help him remain in contention for the championship. The drivers are allowed to skip races, due to family medical reasons. So, it want be a major issue as of now for the Toyota veteran.

JGR supports Hamlin in his decision and will apply for a waiver to maintain his status for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

JGR via the statement.

Denny Hamlin and family at the moment is focused on the future ahead of them and the fans are celebrating the happy moment with him. It would be interesting to see if Hamlin Jr. will turn out to be his lucky charm that will finally get him the Cup title he has been chasing for two decades.

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